Eleven months later, the Boston Bruins’ 2019-20 season is over.
With Monday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins now turn to offseason mode, where the future of their slew of free agents will be determined.
Despite the disappointing end for the Bruins, they still were the best team during the regular season and had some impressive individual performances.
So with that in mind, it’s time to hand out some grades. We’ll take into account both the playoffs and regular season of everyone who skated in at least one postseason game. Keep in mind that we’re judging each player relative to their role (for example, Joakim Nordstrom and Brad Marchand won’t be viewed the same).
FORWARDS
Brad Marchand — He remains one of the most reliable Bruins and is on one of the biggest bargain contracts in the NHL. His abilities as a penalty killer really elevated this season, as well. GRADE A
Patrice Bergeron — Another quality regular season, despite some absences, but they needed more out of him in the postseason. Still, he’s a defensive stalwart that can put up big offensive numbers — he finished the regular season with three more goals in nine fewer games than Marchand. GRADE B+
David Pastrnak — One of the league’s elite scorers. Another guy who probably had a higher gear he could’ve reached in the postseason, but wire-to-wire he was great. GRADE A-
Jake DeBrusk — The underlying numbers will tell a different story, but the point totals weren’t bad for a guy that had what we all can probably agree was a down year. Inconsistency continues to plague him, but the highs are high. GRADE B-
David Krejci — Another vintage postseason run for Krejci, for what that’s worth. He’ll never get enough credit for what he’s capable of doing with a revolving door of wingers, but he’s not completely blameless for he and DeBrusk’s chemistry struggles this season. GRADE B
Ondrej Kase — Snakebitten in the postseason, but you can see why the Bruins like him. With time he might be the answer on the second line right wing, but he’s not quite where they need him to be yet. GRADE B-
Anders Bjork — Proved this season that he actually belongs in the NHL, and showed encouraging flashes. Definitely more of a 200-foot player now, but he, like DeBrusk, needs to be way more consistent. GRADE C+
Nick Ritchie — He was brought in to bring edge, and he did do that. Is it his fault that didn’t give the Bruins the jolt they needed? Debatable. The real problem here though is the preventable miscues that led to goals. He needs to improve next season. GRADE C-
Charlie Coyle — A puck possession monster and quality postseason player. His contract extension this season was much deserved. GRADE A-
Karson Kuhlman — His job is to play with energy and hunt pucks, and he did that. It’s clear his ceiling at this point is probably a depth bottom six forward, but he is a reliable player. GRADE B-
Joakim Nordstrom — One of the better penalty killers and shot blockers on the Bruins in years. Although he was unlucky with injuries this season, he was useful when available and should get a pay raise this offseason, even if it’s not from Boston. GRADE B
Sean Kuraly — You could see when he was out against the Lightning just how much he was missed. That should tell you all you need to know about how big of an impact he has on the lineup — and it helps knowing now that he can hack it as a winger, too. GRADE B+
Chris Wagner — He was just OK this season, but gave the Bruins enough from the fourth line. GRADE C+
Par Lindholm — An unenviable job as the spare center, but was solid when called upon. His reliability allowed Bruce Cassidy get creative with the lineup, specifically Kuraly. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a Kuraly-Lindholm-Wagner fourth line next season. GRADE B
Jack Studnicka — Didn’t score in five playoff games, but showed some promise and didn’t look out of place. His future isn’t as a winger, and next season could be when we really see him break out. GRADE C
DEFENSE
Zdeno Chara — Obviously not playing like he was in his prime, but he’s still a legitimate top-pairing defenseman and penalty killer that can log big minutes. GRADE B
Charlie McAvoy — Took another step this season and is far and away the Bruins’ best overall defenseman. Now if he’ll just shoot more… GRADE A-
Torey Krug — Had a total of 49 regular-season points and added some more sandpaper to his game this season, it seemed. If this was his Boston swan song, it’ll be a big void to fill. GRADE B+
Brandon Carlo— Wasn’t as effective as he needed to be during playoffs, but often was one of the best defensemen in the regular season. GRADE B
Matt Grzelcyk — About as steady of a player as the Bruins have. A sure defender and gifted puck-mover, he’s establishing himself as one of the better third-pairing defensemen in the NHL. GRADE A-
Connor Clifton — A bumpy regular season for him in part because of an injury, but we liked his game in the postseason. It seems he’s more firmly established the line between being aggressive versus reckless, so good for him. A spot in the lineup next season should be his to lose. GRADE C+
Jeremy Lauzon — A pleasant surprise during the regular season but a little too inconsistent in the postseason. A full year in the NHL next campaign, even with some healthy scratches likely mixed in, should serve him well. Either way, he’s ready for the varsity. GRADE B-
John Moore — The start of his season was delayed because he gutted out an injury last year, so credit to him for that. But he just didn’t mesh well with Grzelcyk this season and had a tough time getting going when he was called upon. GRADE C-
GOALIES
Tuukka Rask — People will remember how his time in the bubble ended, but he still was up for a Vezina this season. When he played this season, he almost always was rock solid. GRADE A-
Jaroslav Halak — Gave up a few backbreaking goals in the playoffs but he certainly wasn’t the biggest reason they were bounced in the second round (he also was fantastic in Game 5). He’s still one of the NHL’s better backups, and is a big reason Rask has been as fresh, and in turn successful, as he has been these last two years. GRADE B+
Dan Vladar — Is there a worse NHL debut to get thrust into? Maybe not. Too early to judge Vladar. GRADE INCOMPLETE
